Chcken with Lemon, Shallots & Thyme, Rice Amandine, Petite Peas, and Oxnard Strawberries

Sunday Night Dinner

This is a nice, subtly-flavored French meal. A perfect way to relax on a Sunday evening. The quote above the chicken recipe says:

Happy and successful cooking doesn't rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, and makes great demands on the palate, and needs enthusiasm and a great love of food to bring it to life.  ~ Georges Blanc

Chicken with Lemon, Shallots & Thyme from "Patricia Wells at Home in Provence", pg 229. I visit the Channel Islands Farmers' Market almost every Sunday morning with my mother. Today, surprisingly, they didn't have the fresh herbs this recipe calls for, so I used dried ones from Penzey's. They comb the world for the best spices, and the majority of my spice collection is from them. I used a California Chardonnay to make this recipe in a big Le Creuset French Oven. This was the first time I used it completely on the stove top. I wish I could send you the aroma of this dish as it cooked - wine mingled with shallots, herbs, and chicken filled the downstairs.

Rice Amandine

John makes all the rice in our family. Here is his recipe for Rice Amandine (I had to write this down as he was doing it as he very rarely uses recipes!):
2 Tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup white rice (he also makes this with brown rice)
2 Cups chicken broth

In a medium sauce pan, toast the almonds in the butter, add rice and water then bring to a boil. Lower the temperature, and allow rice to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes before
fluffing and serving.

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Petite Green Peas

We microwaved some frozen petite green peas and stirred in 1 Tablespoon of butter. Any green vegetable would have been good with this meal.

Oxnard Strawberries

I had a glass of the Castello di Amorosa "Fantasia" that we opened last night, and John had a Pinot Grigio from Venice called "Gaetano d'Aquino" that he said was the perfect complement to all the subtle flavors of the meal.

Italian Herb Rolls, Salad of Roquefort, Lasagne, and Chocolate Drizzled Vanilla Ice Cream

Italian Herb Rolls

Frozen rolls from Bridgford - 2 in each muffin tin cup rolled in olive oil, Italian herbs, and garlic salt.
 Let rise 2 - 3 hours, then bake @ 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

 Salad of Roquefort, Walnuts, Belgian Endive & Lamb's Lettuce

From Patricia Wells at Home in Provence, page 64. Note, I used Butter Leaf Lettuce in place of Belgian Endive as I don't care for it's bitter flavor. I also used Watercress instead of Mache - although I love Mache as a salad green, it was not available at my local market.

Lasagne Supreme

From the Southern Living Annual Recipes Cookbook - 20th Anniversary Edition, page 228.

I am a huge fan of pasta made in Italy. I used Barilla Lasagne for this dish.

John and I have polar tastes in wines. We meet in the middle with a good Viognier, and I am learning to like Roses, but for the most part, he is a red wine guy, and I am a white wine gal. So, with my dinner, I enjoyed a glass of light, fruity, effervescent "Fantasia" that we brought home from the most amazing winery in Napa Valley, Castello di Amorosa, and he had a great, deep Sangiovesse from Sicily.

 Hagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream drizzled with Chocolate Cabernet Wine Sauce

From Anette's by Brent in Napa Valley.

I once read that recipes are like sheet music.  Anyone can follow the notes, but only few can make music! So, relax, get into the flow, and enjoy making recipes your own.

Experiment, and enjoy!

Welcome to My Blog

My husband, John, and I love to cook using fresh ingredients from the local Farmers' Market. We both grew up in Europe - me in Naples and Rome, he in London and Aberdeen. We love to try new things and prefer to drink wines we like rather than those we are "supposed" to like.


It occurs to me that many people are good at making individual dishes, but are often at a loss when it comes to pulling a meal together. Eating should be an enjoyable experience that nourishes our bodies, excites our taste buds, and helps us relax and underlies good conversation.


I intend to post meal ideas, the sources of our recipes - which we often amend in some way. I will talk about seasonal ingredients, encourage you to experiment, and post pictures of our culinary journey.

Buon Appetito!